Not according to heart-specialist Dr. Aseem Malhotra who writes in the British Medical Journal that, paradoxically, avoiding saturated fats has actually increased the risk of obesity and heart disease. It's certainly the case that some fat is needed in our diet to help us absorb fat soluble nutrients like Vitamin E. And it's certainly the case that when manufacturers remove fat from a product they also remove the taste so have to compensate with added flavourings, particularly sugar. It is Dr. Malhotra's opinion that it is all this additional sugar - not fat - that is chiefly responsible for the obesity epidemic and the increase of related diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
According to him, fat consumption in the US has fallen from 40% to 30% over the past 30 years yet obesity levels have rocketed. He also says that in the United States, over the past 30 years the proportion of energy consumed from fat has fallen from 40% to 30%, although absolute fat consumption has remained the same. In spite of this, obesity levels have rocketed.
This is a viewpoint that I totally agree with. I don't think fat is the issue and because all the focus has been on reducing fat and buying low fat foods which isnât the problem then obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer has been on the increase. It is sugar and refined carbohydrates like white flour that are the culprits and their effects on blood sugar that are causing the epidemic of health problems we are seeing.
